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Herbert W. Armstrong Post Office Box 431, Tucson, Arizona 85702
Tucson, November 26, 1980
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ:
I have very recently returned from another Middle East visit.
It was very profitable for the Work that God is doing through
us.
En route I stopped off in London, and spoke on the Sabbath,
October 25th, to the brethren in the London area. There were
more than 1,000 present, including a number who came over from
the Continent.
On Monday evening, the 27th, I addressed a large banquet
in Cairo, Egypt, of people prominent in the Egyptian government
and universities, and the Egyptian-American League, hosted by
Dr. Mohammed Abdel Kader Hatem, chief personal adviser to President
Anwar el-Sadat and former prime minister. Then on to Jerusalem.
Our brief flight to Jerusalem was a "FIRST"! We were given
government permission to fly direct from Cairo to Jerusalem airport.
Since the hostilities between Egypt and Israel, there
were no flights permitted between the nations until the Camp
David peace talks, and then flights were permitted only from
Cairo to the Ben-Gurion airport at Tel Aviv. But our plane was
given government permission to make the first flight direct to
Jerusalem airport.
In Jerusalem with Mr. Rader we renewed many close friendships
with Israeli leaders. I spoke at a banquet hosted by Mayor
Teddy Kollek. We attended a Sunday afternoon entertainment by
the Arab section of the ICCY (International Cultural Center for
Youth) in the "old city" Arab section of the city. It was a
performance by both Arab and Israeli youth, with a very hilarious
"belly dance" by a little 9-year-old Arab girl. This youth center
is succeeding well in bringing together the youths, of both Arab
and Jewish children and young people, in harmonious peace instead
of hostility. We've been participating in this foundation for
12 years. A whole square in front of the main headquarters building
in the newer area of Jerusalem is named "The Herbert W. Armstrong
Square."
Also we visited again the new downtown city park in Jerusalem,
where my name is engraved in a stone marker at one of the park
entrances, at the children's playground area.
On Monday, November 3 (the day before the U.S. presidential
election), I had another very splendid meeting with Prime Minister
Menachem Begin. I was of course accompanied by Mr. Rader and
also present was Mayor Teddy Kollek. The prime minister had
interrupted a government meeting in Tel Aviv, to come with a
one-hour automobile drive to Jerusalem for our meeting. The
Tel Aviv meeting recessed for 2-1/2 hours until Mr. Begin could
return. When I apologized for this interruption and his two-hour